Telephone pay station apparatus



March 1934- B. o. TEMPLETON El AL 1,951,837

TELEPHONE PAY STATION APPARATUS Filed Jan. 14, 1931 FIG.

B. O. TEMPLE TON P. E. MILLS A T TORNE V IN [/5 N TORS Patented Mar. 20, 1934 UNITE STATES TELEPHGNE PAY S TATION APPARATUS Bryce 0. Templeton, Queens Village, N. Y., and

Percy E. Mills, Towac o, N. J., assignors to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New

York, N. Y., a corpora Application January 14 3 Claims.

This invention relates to coin collecting apparatus and particularly to means for detecting obstructions in the refund chute of telephone coin collectors.

In coin collecting apparatus of the type now commonly used in telephone pay stations considerable trouble has been experienced by the telephone companies because of unscrupulous persons obstructing the coin refund chute to prevent coins from being returned to their rightful owners when calls are not completed.

The object of the present invention is to provide an alarm which will give a signal when obstructions are placed in the refund chute of coin collectors.

Specifically the invention provides a flexible or movable member as part of the wall or boundary of the passage in the refund chute adapted to close an alarm circuit when articles are inserted 2.0 in the chute. The alarm may be visual, audible or both and may be placed in any convenient location for supervising the coin collectors.

Referr ng to the drawing, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of a coin collector showing a section in elevation of the coin return chute embodying the invention, the alarm circuit being shown diagrammatically;

Fig. 2 is a front View of the refund chute itself; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the refund chute taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention the alarm is shown in a form suitable for use in coin collectors of the type disclosed in Patent 1,043,219 of November 5, 1912 to O. F. Forsberg, which shows the usual coin refund chute having a bafile plate therein to prevent direct access to the coin control mechanism through the exit opening in the coin chute.

The refund chute is formed by parallel vertical walls 4 and 5, a horizontal upper wall 6 and an inclined wall 7 which define a horizontal opening 9 for receiving returned coins from the coin control apparatus and a vertical opening 8 through which they may be recovered. Disposed between the walls 4 and 5 and extending downwardly from the upper edge of the opening 8 is an inner upper wall or baflie 10 inclined to permit access to the coin well 11 and at the same time to prevent access to the coin control apparatus through the opening 8.

Back of the battle 10 and forming part of the inner upper wall is a vane or movable member 12 inclined in the opposite direction from the baffle 10 and pivotally supported at one end near the top wall 6 on the side walls 4 and 5 by a rod 13. The opposite or free end of the vane 12 rests on a lip 24 on the lower end of the baffle 10. Stop pins 14 and 15 in the walls 4 and 5 are provided to limit the upward movement of the vane 12.

tion of New York 1931, Serial No. 508,564

An electrical switch comprising contact springs 16 and 17 is mounted on the upper wall 6. This switch controls a suitable circuit 18 containing a source of electrical energy 19 and a signaling device 20. This signal may be of any suitable type either audible or visual, or both and may be placed in any convenient location, as for example, on the telephone booth, in the central oflice, or any other place convenient for supervision. On' the upper side of the vane 12 is an arm 21 carrying a stud 22 of insulating material for operating the switch. The baille 10 and the vane 12, in fact, determine the upper wall of the passage in the chute.

From the foregoing description of the invention it is evident that any stuiling or article inserted far enough into the chute to escape detection by a casual inspection will move the vane 12 upwardly and operate the switch to give an alarm.

Although the invention has been described in connection with a specific type of coin collector it may be modified in obvious ways to meet the requirements of coin collecting apparatus having different types of coin return chutes.

What is claimed is:

1. In a coin collecting device, an inclined coin return chute having a vertical exit opening and vertical side walls, a bafile extending obliquely rearwardly from the upper edge of said opening, a vane disposed behind said bafiie and extending obliquely forwardly, said vane being pivotally supported at its upper end between said sidewalls, said baffle forming a stop for the free end of said vane to limit its downward movement, and electrical switching means associated with said vane to operate an alarm when said chute is obstructed to prevent the passage of coins.

2. In a coin collecting device, an inclined coin return chute having a vertical exit opening and vertical side walls, a baiile extending obliquely rearwardly from the upper edge of said opening, a vane disposed behind said bafiie and extending obliquely forwardly substantially to the inner edge of said baffle, said vane being movably supported at its upper end between said side walls, and electrical switching means associated with said vane to operate an alarm when said chute is obstructed to prevent the passage of coins.

3. In combination with a coin return chute including a rigid wall, a member movably mounted in said chute opposite said rigid wall to receive pressure of stuffing thrust into said chute to retain a coin therein above the outlet thereof, said member being located out of the path of a coin moving along the chute, an indicator, and a conncction between said member and indicator to operate the latter to denote movement of the former.

BRYCE O. TEMPLETON. PERCY E. MILLS. 

